Goal Set With Me: Discipline and a Schedule

Do you want to know what I’ve noticed about highly successful people and the very thread that connects them all together? Well, I’ve noticed that highly successful people (no matter the craft) are disciplined, dedicated, unrelenting, and down-right hardworking when it comes to turning their goals into realities. 

Time and time again, I’ve witnessed these individuals excel in their particular skill set because they put the work in to accomplish that level of excellence in the “thing” that sets them apart from those that look for the easy path and the quick fix to reaching high levels of achievement.

The secret of success has never been rocket science. There’s really no secret to it and no magical solution to concoct. As a matter of fact, success at anything you do isn’t shrouded in mystery at all.  And through living life, going through experiences, and making observations along the way, the formula to achievement is becoming more and more apparent to me as I pursue my journeys in content creation and healthy habits goal-setting.

I’ve studied individuals from different demographics, geographic locations, cultural backgrounds, internal and external influences, socio-economic walks of life, etc.; and the one thing I’ve noticed about them all is that they have a drive to succeed — no matter the sacrifices that must be made. And, they’re wholeheartedly dedicated to their pursuit and have a love, respect, and appreciation for it. Furthermore, consistency is key for them. And, they won’t rest until they’ve accomplished what they’ve set out to do (even if it takes them years and years of patiently and devotedly grinding their way through the process that leads them to their successes).  

Now, you have to be careful about the “sacrifices” part when you’re seeking to accomplish goals. Nothing should be pursued in a way that will cause your overall health to be jeopardized. There have to be healthy limits and boundaries for your goal pursuit. So, I tend to focus on the success stories of longevity that I’ve witnessed come from individuals who’ve figured out the right mix of components to reach their goal and sustain their successful mastery of that goal over time without compromising their mental, physical, or spiritual well-being.

And so, I’m looking to these success stories to give me some insight into how I can consistently carry out “The Daily 10” healthy habits goals that are so important to me in improving my overall health so that I can be better equipped to pursue my other personal as well as professional goals. And, I think I’ve pinpointed what I need to do in order to get on track. Because I’ll tell you this much, week 2 for the goals was pretty much a dud (just as week 1 was).

Here’s somewhat of an update on how I did in week 2:

SMART goal for water consumption – I will drink more water for healthy body maintenance by increasing my intake to at least 32 ounces (4 cups) daily. (I didn’t hit this goal for Monday through Thursday. Friday is still in progress, but I’m not holding my breath on this one.)

SMART goal for sleep – I will increase the amount of sleep I’m getting each night for optimal mental and bodily functioning by adhering to an 11:00p bedtime schedule during the weekdays (Monday thru Friday). I will wake up around 4:00a in the mornings to see my husband off to work and then lay back down for another 2 hours to get in a total of approximately 7 hours of sleep before having to get my son up and ready for school. (I didn’t hit this goal for Monday through Friday. I already knew I missed the boat on Friday because I stayed up into the wee hours of Friday morning typing this post and spent way too much time perusing YouTube videos for entertainment before that when, in fact, I should have gone to bed at 11p on Thursday.)

SMART goal for exercising – I will exercise to strengthen my heart by walking in the mornings or afternoons (around my neighborhood when the weather allows for 5 days out of the week (Monday thru Friday) for 30 to 45 minutes a day. During the Fall/Winter seasons or when the weather is uncooperative, I’ll perform the “Fitness Blender” home workout routines in place of the walking. (Totally bombed this goal as well. Because I didn’t get adequate sleep from the nights before, it rendered it quite difficult to wake up early and exercise. I could try exercising in the evenings; but realistically, I peter out at a certain point in the evening, start gradually winding down, and have depleted most of my optimal energy reserves by that point. If I’m going to exercise, I must do it in the mornings at the onset of my busy day.)

SMART goal for using natural cleaning agents – I will use salt, baking soda, and/or vinegar (daily) in place of harsh chemicals for activities such as brushing teeth, washing clothes, cleaning off groceries, cleaning floors, and cleaning household appliances and fixtures. (This goal is a given because I purposely use natural cleaning agents for common household chores as well as personal care. But, my goal is to further increase the uses of such items in my daily routine.)

SMART goal for eating fruits and vegetables – I will eat (at least) five servings of raw fruits and vegetables a day (to be spread out throughout the various meals of the day). (I was able to hit this goal each day. I mean I begin my day with a green drink, consisting of spinach or kale, lemon, apple, and banana; so, I’m usually off to a good start on this goal and try to make it a practice to carry out the veggies in the later meals as well. I need to work more on incorporating the fruits and vegetables into my go-to snacks when I have the munchies, though.)

SMART goal for voicing my love for someone – I will say the words, “I love you” to one or more loved ones every day. (I was able to easily hit this goal each day, because I live with people who I love and so it’s not a hard thing for me to tell someone throughout the day that I love him or her. I also make it a habit to do this more and more for family and friends that are not in my immediate household as well.)

SMART goal for waking up thankful – I will pray every morning (right after I wake up) and include what I’m thankful for in the prayer. (I believe I hit this goal every day, as I’m used to getting up and thanking God for allowing me to see a new day. And if I didn’t pray right after waking up, I made sure to do it at some point in the morning.)

SMART goal for going to sleep thankful – I will pray every evening (before going to bed) and include what I’m thankful for in the prayer. (This goal is a no-brainer for me. Little Man, my youngest son, and I always pray together before he goes to sleep. It’s part of his bedtime routine.)

SMART goal for an “attitude of gratitude” – I will recite out loud at least 10 things that I’m grateful for and will repeat these same sentiments, periodically throughout the day. (I did manage to recite things I was grateful for every day, but I need to be better about doing it throughout the day and reciting the “at least” 10 things I’m thankful for. I spent time creating an “Attitude of Gratitude” chart and listing 50 things that I’m grateful for, so I can most certainly use this list to pull my 10 items from. Furthermore, my list will be organically expanding as I add more and more items to it as they come to mind.) 

SMART goal for working toward goals – I will work on completing tasks for my Degrees of Maternity blog, Degrees of Maternity Etsy shop, and/or Degrees of Maternity social media accounts (Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube) daily on Monday through Friday. (I was hit and miss on this goal throughout the week. I anticipated getting a lot more done than I actually did, and so I’m behind in content creation items I planned to accomplish with the exception of posting to this site on Tuesday and today. I’m hoping to spend some time this evening working on a few catch-up items, regarding the doorknob hangers that need to go out on my Etsy shop.) 

So, as I mentioned previously, I think I’ve pinpointed the route I need to take in order to successfully accomplish my healthy habits goals on a daily basis. I’ve determined that, for me, discipline and consistency are going to require a little structure in the form of a block schedule for those items that seem to be the most challenging for me (basically the first three healthy habits). And a schedule will only be beneficial if the one utilizing it is willing to abide by its direction. Therefore, the easy part will be the formulating of the schedule, but the difficult part will be to activate those motivational tools that will drive me to follow the schedule’s dictates. I’ll just have to see what week 3 has in store for me, or what I have in store for it.

That’s all for now, folks. Healthy habiting will continue . . .